Freddie Gibbs shines light on scary Gary
Midwest MC performs Sat. at 529 with Yelawolf, Pill and more
By Maurice Garland
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Gary, Ind., is known for the Jackson family, steel mills and being that part of the Chicago metropolis where police don’t venture. But over the last year, rapper Freddie Gibbs has brought a little bit of light to the cloudy city, even though the sunshine is coming all the way from Los Angeles.
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“I’m out here to take care of my family back home and that’s it,” says Gibbs via cell phone. He relocated to L.A. in 2006 when he got signed to Interscope Records. He’s since parted ways with the label and is now independent. “I got good family and good people that I keep in touch with, so I’m not worried about changing into something I’m not.”
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While Gary doesn’t have any professional sports teams with fitted caps for Gibbs to represent with, his music is doing a good job with putting his town on the map. Last year, Gibbs released two critically-acclaimed mixtapes, The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik. His honest commentary on life at the bottom resonated with listeners tired of the typical ’hood images that ironically tend to lean more toward “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”
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Freddie Gibbs
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With Yelawolf, Pill, Kuntry Kool, Lucky Lamar, Mama’s Moonshine. $12. 9 p.m. Sat., Feb. 20. 529, 529 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-228-6769. www.529atl.com.